Tick Tock
by Eris-chan
Summary: Italy has always wanted his brother's attention but his constant dismissal is having its effect on Italy's mental state. Romano begins to learn that it isn't easy piecing fragments together without cutting yourself and is left with a difficult decision. Abandon the life he has? Or abandon Italy?
1. Chapter 1

_Tick_

_Tock_

_Tick_

_Tock_

_Please, just a little more time…_

_This dream can't end just yet!_

"Lovino~!" Italy called happily.

Romano glared at him, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Aw~! Lovino, don't be like that~!" Italy wrapped his arms around Romano.

"L-let go of me!" Romano growled, wriggling out of Italy's grasp.

_Why do you always push me away?_

"Ve~! Lovino~! Lets make pasta together~!"

"Why would I want to do that?"

Italy looked down, crestfallen "I-I just thought…because you always do it with Spain…"

Romano sighed, "Fine! Just this once though, got it!"

Italy immediately brightened, "Yay~! Lets go Lovino~!" He grabbed his brother's hand, pulling him in the direction of Germany's house.

"Not at the potato bastards house!" Romano growled, tugging his hand out of Italy's grip, "We can do it at Antonio's house."

_Oh yeah. I forgot about __**him.**_

"Okay~!" Italy smiled happily, but Romano could see the hard glint that had appeared in his eyes when he mentioned Antonio.

"He's on a trip right now so he wont be there," Romano smirked a little as he noticed that the glint had disappeared.

_Interesting._

Italy reached over and held onto Romano's hand happily swinging it in the air. Romano scowled and tugged his hand away, grumpily.

"Lovino~! Why do you mind so much? Germany lets me hold his hand."

"Why didn't you fucking ask the potato bastard to cook pasta with you then Italy?"

_He still doesn't call me by my name._

"Ve~! But I wanted to cook pasta with brother Lovino~!"

"Fine! Just stop your fucking whining!"

Italy smiled happily but kept quiet so as not to anger Romano any more.

Italy watched Romano as he pulled out the keys to unlock Spain's door.

"Lovino doesn't have any key chains?" Italy asked tilting his head to one side in curiosity.

"What would I need that shit for?" Romano scowled, pushing the key into the lock on Spain's door.

"But they're cute~!"

"Exactly why I don't have any," Romano pushed open the door, feeling slightly relaxed at being back at the house.

Italy noticed the change the house had on Romano, and scowled slightly.

Romano didn't notice, "Did you bring the stuff for pasta?"

"Uh…no?"

"Fucking hell Italy! Why are you so useless?" Romano shouted angrily.

"I-I'm sorry…." Italy flinched away from his brother, fearfully waiting for the hit that would soon follow.

Romano smacked him on the head. Hard. Italy screwed up his eyes and moved away from Romano, hiding the tears that were about to follow.

"I'll go get the stuff! You stay here and don't fucking touch anything!" Romano walked down the hall, slamming the front door behind him.

Italy moved his arms away from his head, his eyes dull.

_He's right. I'm just useless._

Italy looked around Spain's house curiously.

_Romano lives here does he not?_

Italy quietly walked up the stairs, hesitating slightly before opening the only door that was closed.

_Surely this is their room._

It was an office. Italy sighed, visibly disappointed. He was about to leave but the computer screen caught his attention. Italy walked into the room, heading towards the computer. There were various folders on the desktop and a small chat window was open in the corner. Italy ignored it, more intent on looking through the files. Most of it was business files of Spain's. Italy sighed, closing the windows when he noticed there was one folder that he hadn't looked at yet. He moved the mouse over it, contemplating whether or not to click on it.

_Romano will get really mad if I go through Spain's stuff, but I might as well finish what I started…_

Decided, Italy double clicked the folder, his heart pounding.

_What? Images?_

Italy selected the pictures and opened them in a preview.

_Wait what?! I-is that…Romano?! And Spain?! _

Italy scooted away from the computer, his face bright red.

_I should not have looked at that. That's worse than Germany's stuff!_

"Italy? Where the fuck are you?"

Italy jumped in surprise as he heard Romano's voice echo up the stairs.

"I'm in the toilet~!" He called from the room, hoping it would be enough to convince him.

Italy closed the windows and bolted into the toilet, flushing it before heading into the bathroom to supposedly wash his hands.

"Coming Lovino~!" he called, quickly drying his hands.

Italy bounded down the stairs.

"Ve~! Sorry Lovino~!" Italy smiled cheerfully.

"Were you prying?" Romano glared at him suspiciously.

"Of course not!" Italy put on a slightly hurt expression.

"Why is your face so red then?"

Italy smiled, "Its because brother Lovino wants to make pasta with me!"

Romano gave him one last suspicious glare before turning around to walk into the kitchen, "lets get this over with."

"Okay~!" Italy smiled and followed Romano into the kitchen.

_He never knows how I'm really feeling…_

Italy giggled at the sight of the kitchen. The pasta ingredients were sprawled on the counter where Romano had dumped them. Saucepans and chopping boards were scattered everywhere and the knives were dangerously left lying around in random places.

"Lovino and Toni don't clean much do they?" Italy directed the question at Romano.

"S-shut up! We just never get time to, that's all!"

"What does Lovino do instead?"

Romano's face flushed a bright red. "None of your business!"

_Ah, as I thought._

Italy giggled, "Aw~! Lovino is embarrassed~!"

Romano thumped his brother on the head, "Stop saying stuff like that!"

Italy flinched away from his brother, his eyes yet again gaining that dull, blank look. Romano didn't notice the change that had come over Italy, too intent on trying to tidy up just a little bit.

"L-lovino? Can we make pasta now please?" Italy tried to sound cheerful.

"Fine. Whatever."

Italy smiled but his eyes were still dull.

_If only…..if only….if only…._

_Oh, oh, oh, is there anybody home?_

_Who will believe me, won't deceive me_

_Won't try to change me?_

_Ah, ah, ah, is there anybody home?_

_Who wants to have me just to love me?_

_Stuck in the middle_

"_Stuck in The Middle"-Mika_

_A/N_

_I feel terribly guilty about starting something new when I haven't finished the ones I have started. I'm sorry~! Also I apologise if something like this already exists. I'm having trouble coming up with ideas that I'm actually going to accomplish. TT^TT_

_Leave a review~?_


	2. Chapter 2

"Lovino~! What do you want me to do?"

Romano frowned. He had already done most of the work preparing the pasta, there wasn't really anything left to do.

"Ve~! I know~! I'll do the dishes because Lovino hates doing them!" Italy smiled cheerfully.

"I don't hate them, I just dislike doing them,"

"Ve~? Isn't that the same thing?"

"Of course not!"

_Wasn't this supposed to be something we did together?_

Italy started filling up the sink, checking the temperature very now again.

"Hmph," Romano went back to stirring the pasta sauce on the stove.

_Together? We never do anything together. Why is that?_

Italy started putting the stacked dishes into the sink, not really concentrating on what he was doing.

_Why? Why? Why?_

"Italy!" Romano shouted.

"Huh?" Italy snapped out of his thoughts, knocking a knife from the bench as he flinched away from Romano. The blade fell to the ground, embedding itself straight through Italy's foot in the process. A bright red pool of blood quickly began to form.

"Holy shit! We have to get the fucking knife out of your foot!" Romano was panicking at the sight of the blood.

Italy's eyes had once again gained that dull gaze. He collapsed onto the floor, as the blood loss took its toll on his strength. He dipped his fingers into the warm blood curiously.

"Its…quite a nice…colour," Italy muttered distantly, drawing spirals on the wooden floorboards with the blood.

Romano was freaked out by Italy's behaviour but chose not to comment or show it, deciding instead to grasp the handle of the knife.

"This may hurt," he warned.

"Hurt? No…it doesn't hurt. Nothing hurts anymore…"

Romano tugged on the knife, shivering in disgust at the horrible sound of the knife leaving Italy's foot.

"Stay here," Romano ordered before leaving to get bandages.

Italy continued to draw the spirals, the pattern getting more and more intricate and spreading quickly across the floor.

Romano returned, carrying the bandages, his face stuck on a "worried" expression. Italy looked up from his drawing and laughed.

"Lovino~! Lovino~! Lovino~!" Italy began to repeat Romano's name to a tune that Romano couldn't identify.

_What the fuck?_

Romano ignored the chanting that was causing him unease; preferring instead to wrap Italy's wound carefully. The blood immediately started to soak into the bandage. This captured Italy's attention.

"Look Lovino~! The blood almost looks like a flower, see?"

Italy looked like he was going to say something else, but was unable to as he promptly fainted onto Romano.

"Fuck! Now I have to carry him out of the kitchen!" Romano sighed and picked up his brother, "Why are you so heavy? Has the potato bastard been feeding you rocks or something?"

Italy, of course, didn't reply.

Romano scowled and dumped Italy on the couch, before sniffing the air curiously.

_What the hell? Is something burning?_

"Shit!"

Romano dashed into the kitchen and turned the stove off, but by now it was too late. The pasta and the sauce had been reduced to a black gloopy mess.

"Urgh. It looks worse than the English tea bastards cooking!"

Romano began to clean up the mess, getting steadily more frustrated, "should have just stayed in bed," he muttered grumpily, "this is all Italy's fault."

Little did Romano know, Italy was standing just around the corner, listening to his every word.

"If Spain was here…" Romano didn't finish the sentence, instead picking up his phone to call Spain instead.

"Ah~! Roma you called me~! Even though I'm working~!"

Romano scowled but Italy could see the faint blush that was on his face.

"Shut up! I was just going to ask how much longer you planned on working!"

"Missing me already my little tomato~!"

"It's not like that!" Romano exclaimed.

"Of course it isn't~!"

"Don't be sarcastic with me bastard!"

"Aw~ but Roma~~!"

"Don't whine! I've had to put up with Italy whining all day without you starting!"

"What? Ita-chan is over there too?"

"Not for much longer! I'm taking him home right now!"

"Haha~! You're jealous aren't you Roma~?"

"N-No I'm not!"

"Yes you are~!"

"No I'm not!"

"I guess I'll keep working then~!"

"What? Spain!"

"But Roma~! You haven't told me why I shouldn't~"

"Argh! Just...get over here!"

"Say please~"

"What! Fuck no!"

"I guess I better hang up then~?"

"Fine! Whatever! Please! Happy now bastard?"

"Haha~! I'll come right over~"

"Bastard!" Romano muttered grumpily but Spain had already hung up.

Romano smiled a little tiny bit and Italy frowned.

_He never smiles when I'm around._

Romano turned around, finished with the cleaning, to go and check on Italy.

"Huh?"

The front door was open, letting in a cold wind.

Italy was gone.

And he had left footprints of blood on the floor.

_And so I sent some men to fight  
And one came back at dead of night  
Said he'd seen my enemy  
Said he looked just like me  
So I set out to cut myself  
And here I go_

"_Same mistake" James Blunt_

_And so, we start to see hints of Italy's mental state. I deleted this and rewrote it so many times (-_-;) _

_Leave a review~?_


	3. Chapter 3

"Roma~? What are you doing?"

Romano was scrubbing his brother's blood off the floor, a dark angry aura emanating from him.

"Don't ask," he grumbled.

"Is that...Blood?"

"Italy's blood to be precise."

Spain looked at Romano curiously, "What did you do to him?"

Romano blushed, "Nothing! The fucking idiot drove a knife through his foot accidentally!"

"Oh~! For a moment there I thought-"

"Don't even finish that sentence bastard," Romano interrupted.

Spain laughed and knelt down onto the ground with Romano, "Do you want me to help?"

Romano sighed, "whatever"

Spain took the cloth off of Romano and started to scrub the floorboards, "You'll have to pay me back later for this Roma~"

Romano's face went a noticeable red but he didn't reply to Spain.

"Haha~! Roma~! Your face has gone red~!"

"Shut up!"

"You're so cute when your embarrassed~!"

Romano glared at Spain his face still a bright shade of red.

"Okay, okay!" Spain held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture, but his face still had a tell-tale smirk on it.

Romano scowled, "Do you want me to hit you?"

Spain smiled, "But I've stopped Roma~"

"Then stop smirking!"

"What would you rather I did?" Spain stood up and walked over to Romano.

"Nothing!" Romano stuck his chin out defiantly, his heart pounding as Spain got closer and closer…

Spain stopped in his tracks, "I just thought of something."

Romano cursed himself for getting even a little excited, "What is it bastard?"

"Did Ita-chan get home okay? I mean if he was hurt when he left…"

Romano scowled, the small flame of jealousy turning into a full-blown fire. "Whatever, I don't care."

"But he might get hurt~!"

"Fine! Do you want me to fucking check on him?" Romano snapped.

"Yes please Roma~!"

"Why do you care so much anyway?" Romano muttered under his breath.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Nothing!" Romano walked out the front door and slammed it closed behind him.

Romano knocked on Italy's front door loudly. _Might as well get this over with._ Italy opened the door slowly, as if expecting someone dangerous to be outside. His face lit up when he recognised Romano on the step.

"Lovino~! You came to visit me!"

"No I didn't! Spain wanted me to check on you, that's all!"

Italy's eyes dulled, "So Toni's back now?"

"Yes he is. So are you…okay?" Romano looked down at Italy's feet expecting one of them to be bandaged up. Instead, Italy was wearing white socks but one of them had almost completely gone red with blood.

"What the crapola? Italy you should bandage your foot!"

"Eh? But I don't know how~"

Romano sighed and stepped into Italy's house, "I'll bandage it for you then."

Italy hugged Romano happily, "Thankyou Lovino~!"

"Get off me! Its creepy!"

Italy let go and stumbled into the kitchen, "Does Lovino want anything to drink?"

"Just water. Where do you keep your bandages?"

Italy pointed to the kitchen table; "I was trying to do it earlier."

Romano sighed and sat down on one of the chairs, watching Italy as he limped over to the chair opposite, carrying the glass of water.

_I hope the drug doesn't taste weird. Lovino will definitely notice then._

Romano lifted up Italy's injured foot and set it on his knee, taking a large swig of the water before starting to bandage Italy's foot.

Italy sat quietly, but his heart was thumping as he slowly counted down the two minutes he had before the drug knocked out Lovino.

"What the fuck is wrong with your water? It tastes weird." Romano had finished bandaging Italy's foot and was drinking the rest of the water with a disgusted expression.

Italy's eyes widened but he kept his fear under control as he said, "You're probably just used to the water at Toni's house."

"Maybe," Lovino frowned.

"Thanks for bandaging my foot Lovino~!"

"Whatever," Lovino stood up, "I'm leaving now."

"Aw~! Already~?"

"Stop whining!" Romano put a hand to his head. _Why the fuck do I have a headache? _

Italy smiled cruelly, "I don't think so Roma~! You're not going anywhere."

"What are you talking about?"

_Urgh, my head….really…hurts…_

Romano looked at Italy, realisation dawning on him but before he could do anything he collapsed, unconscious.

"Sleep well dear brother."

_Prison gates won't open up for me  
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'  
Oh, I reach for you_

Well I'm terrified of these four walls  
These iron bars can't hold my soul in  
All I need is you  
Come please I'm callin'  
And all I scream for you  
Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

_[Chorus:]__  
Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be  
And say it for me  
Say it to me  
And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me_

Heaven's gates won't open up for me  
With these broken wings I'm fallin'  
And all I see is you

These city walls ain't got no love for me  
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story  
And all I scream for you  
Come please I'm callin'

"_**Savin me" Nickleback**_

_**A/N**_

_**So sorry I took so long to do this! Having so many life issues right now. Please forgive me. **_

_**Leave a review?**_


	4. Chapter 4

Romano abruptly regained consciousness, shivering.

The first thing Romano noticed was his lack of clothes. _Fuck, where are my clothes?_

Romano brought his legs closer to his body growling in frustration when he realised his arms were chained to the cold concrete wall.

_Wait, what? Why am I chained here? And where is here?_

He shook his head in confusion.

"So, you're awake fratellio."

Romano looked towards the source of the voice, "Italy?"

Italy was sitting on the only chair in the cold, bare concrete room, watching Romano awaken with a darkly amused smile.

"Where are we?"

"In my basement Lovino."

"Okay so why the fuck am I in chains?"

Italy uncrossed his legs and stood up from the chair, slowly walking towards Romano. He shrank back a little, feeling overexposed without his clothes.

Italy was holding something behind his back but Romano couldn't see what it was. He was more worried about the fact that Italy was getting closer and closer and closer...

Italy smiled, which only caused Romano to worry more.

"Why Lovino~! Don't you think you deserve it?"

"Huh? What the fuck did I do to deserve this?"

Italy took his hands away from his back and Romano's breath hitched as he recognised the object in Italy's hand.

_Shit! I don't want to be whipped! What did I do? What did I do?_

"Let's see Lovino, how about we start with the fact you won't say my name?"

"I do too! Italy! See I said it!"

Italy raised the whip, feeling a dark satisfaction as Romano flinched away from him.

"Oh, right. Your legs are in the way. Might need to fix that." Italy knelt onto the ground in front of Romano, forcefully prising away Romano's legs and placing them into the empty shackles.

Italy stood up again having succeeded in locking the shackles despite Romano's desperate thrashing.

"Now where were we? Oh yes, Lovino refusing to say my name." A dark shadow crossed Italy's face as he raised the whip again.

"Italy! Italy! I fucking said it!"

"Have you forgotten my real name already Lovino?"

Romano started as he realised what his brother was asking, but before he could utter that one simple word, Italy brought down the whip sharply.

Crack!

Romano gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to cry out in pain.

"Haha~! Look it's bleeding~!" Italy trailed his finger through the blood, cause Romano to shiver in pain.

"What else? Oh yes. How about the many taunts and insults you throw at me? Too many to count of course. I guess I'll just make an estimate?"

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

Again and again the whip whistled through the air, each time landing perfectly on Romano until he couldn't hold back the cries of pain that escaped him.

Finally, Italy stopped, panting.

"P_please Italy. I-I'm sorry, just please stop." Romano was sobbing quietly.

Italy laughed, "Stop? I think not. I haven't finished listing your sins."

"What else could I have possibly done?" Romano sobbed.

"Hm, lets see. Oh yes! What about your dearest Toni?"

"W-what about him?"

"He's quite dear to you, isn't he? After all, you've done quite a lot of things with him." Italy smirked.

"How the fuck do you know about that?"

Italy laughed, "Your dearest Spain isn't as innocent as you think Lovino! You should see all the lovely pictures of you two he has."

Romano kept his shock under control, not wanting to give Italy any more satisfaction than he already had.

"What has that got to do with me? It's not my fault!"

"You didn't put up much resistance though, did you?"

"Why do you care? It's my fucking life."

Italy lifted his brother's chin with the hilt of the whip, "Are you really that stupid?"

Romano looked at Italy, confused.

Italy sighed, "obviously you are. Can't you see how much I love you?"

Romano laughed bitterly, "If you truly loved me you would be doing this to me."

"Ah, but to get a dog to be loyal, you need to beat it when it's been bad."

"You can't talk! What about you and the potato bastard?"

"Doitsu?" Italy looked completely confused, "What's he got to do with this?"

"He's all you ever talk about! It's always Doitsu this, Doitsu that."

"Are you jealous Lovino?"

"Of course not! But you can't fucking stand there and criticise me and Spain when you're doing the exact same thing!"

Italy laughed, "You think….that me and Doitsu?"

Romano moaned in pain, the blood loss affecting his vision as he struggled to stay conscious.

Italy, still laughing, raised the whip once again.

Crack!

Romano howled as the fiery whip hit him again and again. Finally, he couldn't stay awake and fainted into a world of pain and darkness.

"Maybe I over did it," Italy muttered, nudging Romano's weak, bleeding form with his foot, "But it made me feel better."

The pieces of time flutter about soundlessly

Who is gripping onto my hand?  
Who is stroking my hair?  
Just now, I was crying; within the sapling  
I feel a sign

Jump over, jump over  
From the gears of destiny  
You're not the flower of hell  
At such a place  
Don't scatter, don't scatter  
And don't leave behind a seed

If it sprouts, then karma will cycle again

_**Naraku no Hana- (English translation) Eiko Shimamiya**_

_**A/N**_

_**And so, as so many people requested it, another chapter. Don't stop reading now! I haven't finished just yet~! **_

_**Leave a review~?**_


	5. Chapter 5

Romano moaned and slowly opened his eyes.

It hurt.

God what the fuck happened?

Oh yeah. Italy went physco and whipped the hell outta me.

He tried to sit up but the sharp stabs of pain quickly forced him to lie back down.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Romano looked over to where Italy was sitting, a scowl quickly forming on his face.

"Don't look at me like that," Italy smirked, "I did nothing wrong."

"Bullshit! Don't fucking lie to me _Feliciano_." He said the name as if it were a curse.

Italy winced, "Now that's just cruel."

"Cruel? Cruel? So whipping me wasn't cruel to you?" Romano snarled angrily

Italy smiled, "Of course not! I was just teaching you a lesson."

"Of course you were. Just let me leave already."

"Nope!" Italy replied cheerfully, this is where you will stay until I can be sure that you understand my lessons."

"Lessons?" Romano asked putting emphasis on the plural, "as in more than one?"

"Of course~! You didn't think that I would simply let you go, did you?"

"You are sick," Romano glared at the person he had once thought of as a brother, "how are you even related to me?"

"Quite easily." Italy stood up from the chair and waltzed over to Romano.

"Stay away bastard!' Romano struggled to sit up and move but the stabbing pain soon had him gasping for breath.

"You see Romano?" Italy ignored his brother's protests and reached over to run the curl that protruded from Romano's head through his fingers, "this is the very proof you need that we are related."

Romano moaned quietly, his face quickly turning red.

Italy laughed at his expression, "So cute~."

"S-stop it!" Romano tried to pull away but his body wouldn't respond to his wishes.

Italy giggled one more time and released the curl, "Well, I'm off~!"

"Wait, are you going to leave me in here alone?" Romano became panicked, despite his flustered aura.

"Yep~! And the door's locked so don't even bother trying to escape." Italy walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Romano tried to get up to stop him, to make him see sense, to hit him even, but he was too late. The click of the lock falling into place echoed through the room sealing his fate.

Italy smiled to himself and plonked onto the sofa. Romano's reaction had been exactly what Italy expected but it was okay, he would break him eventually. Romano's phone sat on the sofa next to him and he picked it up, quickly working out the password. The phone vibrated in his hand and he smiled. Spain had sent another text message to Romano's phone. He lazily read it:

Romano where are you?! Why aren't you replying to my texts and phone calls?!

He smiled to himself, amused. _Stupid, stupid Spain._ He turned the phone off and threw it back onto the couch. Suddenly his own phone started ringing, the jingle telling him that it was Spain before he even looked at the screen. He sighed and answered the phone, quickly switching into his usual bubbly self.

"Ve~! Ciao Toni~!"

"Hello Ita-chan." Spain sounded worried, Italy noticed with a smirk.

"Is there something wrong? You sound worried~"

"Yes actually…it's about Romano."

"Lovino?"

"Yes. Did you see him last night?"

"No~? Lovino never comes to my house."

"Oh. You see, I sent him over to check on you and he hasn't come back."

"What~! B-but where could he be?"

"I was hoping you might know."

"He never came over here. What if he got attacked on the way? H-he might be hurt!"

"Calm down Ita-chan! I'm sure he's fine. He can look after himself."

"B-But!"

"He'll be fine, okay?"

"O-Okay," Italy sniffled for good measure.

"Okay, bye Ita-chan. Feel free to talk to me if you need to."

"Okay, bye Toni!"

Italy hung up on Spain, feeling a dark satisfaction run through him.

"The clock is ticking~!"

_Say anything you want  
But talk will get you nowhere  
The only thing you've brought was psychological warfare  
Well there's no getting out  
And now you got to wonder  
Who will dig you out when you're six feet under_

And the only thing to save  
Is the banner that you wave  
To be wrapped around your grave

"_This Means War" Nickleback_

_**A/N**_

_**I am so so so so so sorry! I haven't updated in months because of my broken computer and then all my stuff got deleted! TT^TT I hope you haven't all forgotten about me!**_

_**I'm sorry!**_


End file.
